LAKE CHARLES, La. - The ULM volleyball team's 2011 hot streak came
to an end Friday night as they fell 3-1 (25-23, 22-25, 22-25, 19-25) to McNeese
State in the opening round of the Comfort Inn and Suites Invitational in Lake
Charles, La. The Warhawks end their undefeated start to the season and fall to
3-1 overall.
Junior Zuzana Markova earned her second-straight
double-double after a team-high 21 assists and 11 digs and fell just one kill
short of her third triple-double of the season with nine. Sophomore Blanca
Ocana barely fell short of her third double-double this year after leading ULM
in kills with 13 and collected nine digs. Senior Lacey Dietlin also picked up
11 digs for the match while Samantha Morse had 10 kills.
The Cowgirls' Maegan Carlton had a match-high 15 kills and
Nicole Bowden also hit double-digits in kills with 13. Becky Bekelja collected
42 assists while Rachel Cagnina and Whitney Ellisor each had 14 digs.
The Warhawks were unable to gain more than a two-point advantage
at the start of the first set until a kill by Markova and a Cowgirl attack
error put them ahead 10-7. McNeese State (2-5) held ULM from extending its lead
until the Warhawks used three-straight points including kills by Ocana and Tetiana
Sukach to go up 19-13. McNeese State made a late run including three-straight
kills to come within one point 24-23 before Morse's final kill put away the
first set 25-23.
An even 5-5 beginning to the second set ended when ULM
doubled its lead to 10-5 with a service error and four-straight kills by Morse,
Ocana and Alannah Cullum. McNeese State slowly worked its way back into a tie
12-12 with a 7-2 run and neither team was able to take more than a two-point
lead for the remainder of the set. The Warhawks were unable to close after the
score knotted 21-21 and the Cowgirls used a final 4-1 run to win the set 25-22.
McNeese State's momentum carried into the third set and it grabbed
a 12-8 advantage with kills by Bowden and Taylor Bustamento. ULM responded by
holding the Cowgirls to just three points while it went on a nine-point run including
a four-point spree to take its first lead of the set 17-15. A close 5-4 run
ensued until the 22-19 mark when McNeese State went on a tear with the final
six points of the set to claim a 25-22 win.
Both teams took early three-point leads but saw swings
back-and -forth in the score through the 12-12 mark when the Cowgirls utilized
miscues by the Warhawks to take the advantage 16-12. A 6-6 run followed to keep
ULM within reach 22-18 until McNeese State held the Warhawks to just one more
point and scored the final three needed to win the last set 25-19.
ULM continues action at the Comfort Inn & Suites
Invitational this morning when it plays Prairie View A&M at 10 a.m.
followed by a face-off with Oral Roberts at 3 p.m.
